What to Recite after the Prayer

1. The importance of du'a

• A human being is always in need of Allah. Allah invites us to ask Him for what we need.
• Hadith (meaning): "Whoever does not ask Allah for his needs, Allah becomes angry with him."
• Hadith (meaning): "Du'a is worship."
• The basic meaning of the Arabic word "salah" = supplication (prayer to Allah).
• Du'as made after the obligatory prayers are accepted by Allah.

The practice of the Prophet ﷺ

• After the five daily prayers, the Prophet ﷺ would sit for a long time reciting dhikr and awrad, and he taught them to his Companions.
• If a Companion got up and left in a hurry after the prayer without reciting the awrad, the Prophet ﷺ would ask about him specially.

Awrad (أوراد) = dhikr and du'as recited regularly as a habit. Dhikr (ذكر) = remembering Allah.

---

2. What is recited after every prayer

(1) Istighfar + "Allahumma antas-salam"

When the congregational prayer ended, the first thing the Prophet ﷺ said was:

أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ، أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ، أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ. اَللّٰهُمَّ أَنْتَ السَّلَامُ وَمِنْكَ السَّلَامُ تَبَارَكْتَ يَا ذَا الْجَلَالِ وَالْإِكْرَامِ

Meaning: I seek Allah's forgiveness (×3). O Allah! You are Peace, and from You comes peace. Blessed are You, O Possessor of Majesty and Honour!

(2) The kalimah of tawhid + "Allahumma la mani'a" (Bukhari, Muslim)

لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيْكَ لَهُ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيْرٌ ... اَللّٰهُمَّ لَا مَانِعَ لِمَا أَعْطَيْتَ وَلَا مُعْطِيَ لِمَا مَنَعْتَ وَلَا يَنْفَعُ ذَا الْجَدِّ مِنْكَ الْجَدُّ

Main meaning: Allah alone is worthy of worship; the dominion and the praise belong to Him. O Allah! No one can withhold what You give, and no one can give what You withhold. The wealth of a wealthy person cannot protect him from Your punishment.

(3) Tasbih – 33 + 33 + 33 + 1 = 100

Virtue: the sins of the one who recites this are forgiven, even if they are like the foam of the sea.

(4) The three "Qul" surahs (Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud, Nasa'i)

• Surah al-Ikhlas – Allah is One; He needs no one; He does not give birth, nor was He born; and there is none equal to Him.
• Surah al-Falaq – seeking protection with the Lord of the daybreak from: the evil of His creation, the evil of darkness, the evil of those who blow on knots, and the evil of the envious one.
• Surah an-Nas – seeking protection with the Lord, King and God of mankind from: the evil of the one who hides and whispers evil suggestions (waswas) – and such whisperers are among both jinn and human beings.

(5) Ayat al-Kursi (2:255)

اَللّٰهُ لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّوْمُ ... وَهُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْعَظِيْمُ

Virtues:

• For the one who recites it after every prayer, nothing stands between him and Paradise except death. (Nasa'i)
• The one who recites it after an obligatory prayer remains under Allah's protection until the next prayer. (Tabarani)

Attributes of Allah in Ayat al-Kursi (summary):

• The Ever-Living (al-Hayy), the Self-Sustaining (al-Qayyum)
• Neither drowsiness nor sleep overtakes Him
• Whatever is in the heavens and the earth belongs to Him
• No one can intercede without His permission
• He knows what is before them and what is behind them; no one can grasp any of His knowledge except what He wills
• His Kursi (Footstool / Throne) extends over the heavens and the earth; guarding them does not tire Him
• He is the Most High (al-'Aliyy), the Most Great (al-'Azim)

(6) A du'a for protection (Bukhari, Tirmidhi)

اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوْذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْبُخْلِ، وَأَعُوْذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْجُبْنِ، وَأَعُوْذُ بِكَ مِنْ أَنْ أُرَدَّ إِلَى أَرْذَلِ الْعُمُرِ، وَأَعُوْذُ بِكَ مِنْ فِتْنَةِ الدُّنْيَا، وَأَعُوْذُ بِكَ مِنْ عَذَابِ الْقَبْرِ

Protection is sought from: cowardice, miserliness (stinginess), feeble old age, the trials of this world, and the punishment of the grave.

(7) "Allahumma a'inni" (Abu Dawud, Nasa'i)

اَللّٰهُمَّ أَعِنِّي عَلَى ذِكْرِكَ وَشُكْرِكَ وَحُسْنِ عِبَادَتِكَ

Meaning: O Allah! Help me to remember You, to thank You, and to worship You well.

---

3. What is specially recited after Subh and Maghrib

(1) The kalimah of tawhid – 10 times (Tirmidhi)

لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيْكَ لَهُ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ يُحْيِي وَيُمِيْتُ وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيْرٌ

• Virtue: if recited after Subh before speaking to anyone: 10 good deeds are written, 10 bad deeds are erased, and the person is raised 10 ranks; for the whole of that day he is protected from evils and from the harm of Satan.
• The extra words in it: "yuhyi wa yumit" – He gives life and causes death.

(2) "Allahumma ajirni minan-nar" – 7 times (Abu Dawud)

اَللّٰهُمَّ أَجِرْنِي مِنَ النَّارِ

Meaning: O Allah! Protect me from the punishment of the Fire.

• Virtue: if one recites it 7 times after Subh before speaking to anyone and dies that day, he is freed from Hellfire. The same applies if he recites it after Maghrib and dies that night.

(3) After Subh – the du'a for beneficial knowledge (Ibn Majah)

اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ عِلْمًا نَافِعًا وَرِزْقًا طَيِّبًا وَعَمَلًا مُتَقَبَّلًا

Meaning: O Allah! I ask You for beneficial knowledge, pure (halal) provision and accepted deeds.

---

4. Summary table of numbers

Let us memorise the du'as with their meanings and recite them calmly after the prayer.

---

Quick revision

• "Du'a is worship"; Allah is angry with the one who does not ask Him for his needs.
• The basic meaning of salah = supplication.
• 33+33+33+1 = 100 → sins forgiven even if like the foam of the sea.
• Ayat al-Kursi (2:255) → only death stands between him and Paradise (Nasa'i); protection until the next prayer (Tabarani).
• Subh/Maghrib: the kalimah ×10 (10 good deeds, 10 bad deeds erased, 10 ranks), ajirni minan-nar ×7.